Address:
950 Second Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Phone:
412-350-2000
There are several methods for depositing money on an inmate's account:
1. To send money online to an inmate in the Allegheny County Jail use Jail ATM.
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2. If you prefer to use your credit or debit card and deposit money over the phone, you can call them at 877-650-4249.
3. Deposit cash or use a debit or credit card using a dedicated kiosk for this purpose. The machine is located in the lobby or visitation area of the Allegheny County Jail.
4. The Allegheny County Jail may also allow you to *mail an inmate a money order or cashier’s check from a trusted source such as the Post Office, a local bank, or Western Union. The money order should be be made out to either the inmate or the Allegheny County Sheriff's Office, with the inmate’s name and ID# on the memo line of the check. To confirm this option call the facility at 412-350-2000.
*When mailing a money order or cashier’s check, send it an envelope by itself. Never send it with a letter or photos for your inmate, unless the facility allows it. Never send personal checks or cash.
5. The Allegheny County Jail has a reception desk that may accept cash, money orders or cashier checks. Call 412-350-2000 to find out the specific hours for drop off times.
Search for JailATM services for Allegheny County Jail.
Make an inmate deposit with JailATM for Allegheny County Jail.
Note: While JailATM offers the following inmate services, Allegheny County Jail may not allow all of them. Check on the JailATM website to confirm. Services available through JailATM are subject to change with no notice.
Send Money
Allegheny County Jail has an agreement with JailATM so that you can deposit money online or using the kiosk in the jail lobby.
Send Gift Packs
Allegheny County Jail may also have an agreement with JailATM, which ships predetermined Gift Packs of candy, snacks and hygiene products to the inmate. Check the JailATM website to see if they allow Gift Packs.
These can be ordered by you online and are delivered directly to the inmate.
How do I send money to an inmate in the Allegheny County Jail?
Who are the companies that jails use to send money to inmates?
How do I send money by mail to an inmate in the Allegheny County Jail?
Can I send an inmate money using the internet?
What are considered ‘inmate funds’?
How much money can an inmate have in their account while in the Allegheny County Jail?
How much money can I send an inmate at one time?
Is it illegal for an inmate in the Allegheny County Jail to have cash?
If an inmate can’t have cash in jail, how do they purchase contraband or gamble?
What are things inmates use or trade in lieu of cash?
What kind of food can an inmate purchase on Commissary in the Allegheny County Jail?
What items can inmates purchase in the Allegheny County Jail?
Important tips about sending money to an inmate in the Allegheny County Jail
Allegheny County Jail has its own methods for receiving money for inmates, and that information can be found above or by calling 412-350-2000 and asking, however all jails and prisons all receive money for an inmate’s trust and commissary account, as well as an account used for communications, pretty much the same way.
1. Mailing an inmate a money order or cashier’s check from a trusted source such as the Post Office, a local bank, or Western Union. The Money order should be be made out to either the inmate or the facility, with the inmate’s name and ID# on the memo line of the check.
When mailing a money order or cashier’s check, send it an envelope by itself. Never send it with a letter or photos for your inmate.
Never send personal checks or cash either.
2. Deposit cash or use a debit or credit card to send an inmate money using an ATM machine that is located in the lobby or visitation area of the Allegheny County Jail.
3. Some jails have a reception desk or booth that is open during certain hours that they will list on their website. They will accept cash, money orders or cashier checks. Other facilities that don’t have a human manning the desk will have mail drop where you can leave a money order or check. No cash can be left in these boxes.
4. There are multiple companies that jails and prisons contract with which accept inmate deposits online, by mail or over the phone, or even in ATM machines you can find in check cashing stores and retail outlets across the country.
If one of these companies (listed in the next question) works with Allegheny County Jail, this information will be outlined at the top of this page.
There are many companies competing for the accounts of jail and prison inmates. Their intention is to alleviate the staffing and financial responsibility of the jail handling inmate’s accounts. They usually charge a fee equal to 3-5% of the total deposit.
The companies, in alphabetical order, are:
Access Corrections
AllPaid (aka GovPayNet)
Care A Cell
Cash Bond Online
CIDNET
City Tele Coin
CommissaryDeposit.com
Correct Solutions Group
Correctpay
Ctel
Edevo
Express Account
gettingout
GTL
Inmate Canteen
InmateSales
JailATM
Jail Pack Store (McDaniel Supply)
Jailpayments.com
Jpay
NCIC
JailCanteen (Oasis)
Paytel
Pigeonly
Prodigy Sales
Reliance
Securus
Smart Communications
Tennessee Business Enterprise
Tiger
Touchpay
To send an inmate money by mail you first have to have the money converted to a money order, preferably from the US Post Office, or a Cashier’s Check. Never send cash, and never send a personal check.
To find the address for sending money to an inmate, call the jail at 412-350-2000 or check out the money deposit instructions above.
Almost every facility contracts with a company that helps friends and families of inmates send them money. The list can be found above.
To find out who Allegheny County Jail contracts with for inmate deposits, call them at 412-350-2000 or go to the top of this page for deposit instructions.
Inmate funds are the cash that an inmate has on themselves when they are booked into jail, plus the money that friends and family add while they are incarcerated. Inmate funds are also known as ‘inmate trust account’, ‘inmate commissary account’, and ‘inmate money account’.
Typically, most jails allow an innate spend no more than $300-400 per month on snacks and hygiene products, with another $300 spent on phone calls and other communication services. Some jails limit the amount an inmate can spend on snacks to as low as $100 per month, but that is rare.
To find out how much the Allegheny County Jail allows, call the jail at 412-350-2000.
Most jails limit the amount that you can send an inmate to $200 at one time. If a money order exceeds $50.00 some jails will hold the money for up to 30 days before releasing it. The quickest way to get money on an inmate’s account is to deposit it either online or over the phone with the outside vendor that the Allegheny County Jail works with.
It is not illegal for an inmate to have cash, but it is considered contraband and will be confiscated by the Allegheny County Jail if it is discovered. There could be additional punishment such as the inmate having their phone use or visitation limited. It is unlikely that criminal charges will be levied though.
Inmates are very creative in coming up with alternatives to cash for buying goods and services and taking part in gambling and other recreational activities.
• Some jails use stamps as a form of currency.
• Some use a “unit”, which is basically a candy bar, bag of chips or foil package of tuna.
• Some buy goods and services for a “tray”, which is basically a meal, especially one that contains food that may be in demand, such as “chicken on the bone”.
• Some will trade a service such as legal research, haircutting, jail artwork to send to a loved one.
• Some will agree to clean another’s cell in exchange for a candy bar or some coffee.
Basically, everything and anything can be used for trade instead of cash, but one thing is for certain, in jail, you must pay your debt. If you agree to do something when it comes to owing “money”, and you don’t pay, you may end up with a broken jaw when you least expect it.
Inmates in jail and prisoners in prisons, in lieu of cash, trade food, meals, haircuts, cell cleaning, legal research, artwork and communication credits (phone, email, etc.).
Commissaries carry every type of food imaginable:
• Cookies
• Pastries
• Candy
• Tuna and mackerel
• Coffee
• Tea
• Soft drinks
• Energy drinks
• Pizza
• Hamburgers
• Chicken fingers
• Spices
Some jails have larger selections than others, and some contract with companies that ship in gift packages of food, and even fast food that can be reheated.
Prisons in Canada even have small fast-food outlets that operate within the jail.
Besides the food products mentioned above, inmates can purchase on commissary:
• hygiene products like soaps, shampoos and lotions,
• clothing like sweats, t-shirts, hoodies and sneakers,
• stationary supplies
• religious garments
• books
• televisions, radios and headphones
• movie and television programming
• educational courses
Sometimes an inmate's commissary money is used to purchase items to pay gambling debts or purchase prescription medicine from another inmate. If your inmate is spending more than $10.00 a day on commissary items, you are most likely paying for him or her to gamble or buy drugs.
Some inmates, specifically those who are targeted for being weak or are in jail for rape or child molestation, are forced to relinquish their commissary to avoid regular beatings from other inmates.
If you think your inmate is being targeted for violence or having their commissary taken to avoid beatings, contact the Allegheny County Jail and ask to investigate. If an inmate is being targeted, most jails will intervene and have the victim placed in protective custody, away from the general population.
Put your financial needs first and the inmate's second. Don't forget, the inmate is getting three free 2,000 calorie meals a day. The food may not be of the highest quality, but the commissary food is generally much less nutritious.
Option 1 - Dropping Money at the Jail
Bring money to the jail in person.
Either the jail personnel will process the Inmate Account payment or you will use a Jail ATM self-serve kiosk in the lobbies that accepts cash, debit or credit cards.
Option 2 - Deposit Inmate Money Online
Allegheny County Jail uses Jail ATM to process all online deposits to an inmate's account. The company charges you a small fee for doing so, but the fee probably isn't as much as gas and parking would cost to take it to the jail in person.
Option 3 - Mail the Inmate Deposit to the Jail
Mailing a deposit takes more time to process than the other methods but can be done if you live too far away to bring it in person and you don't have a debit/credit card for online deposits. Never send cash. Always send a Money Order from the US Post Office, a reputable bank or Western Union. Call the Allegheny County Jail first as they may want you to do this online or at the jail kiosk instead.
Make the Money Order out to the inmate's name and put their Inmate ID# in memo section of the Money Order.
Inmate's Full Name & DOC Number
Allegheny County Jail
950 Second Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Option 4 - Make an Inmate Deposit with Jail ATM over the Phone by calling 877-810-0914
To do this you will need the inmate's offender # (inmate ID #) and full legal name.
Family members and friends can go to their website, order for their inmate and have it delivered directly to Allegheny County Jail.
Instructions
1. Register here first.
2. Confirm registration in your email.
3. Select Pennsylvania, then Allegheny County Jail, then input your inmate’s name.
4. Shop… then pay using a Visa, MC or Discover credit or debit card.
Useful Information
1. Each order incurs a $5.95 processing fee.
2. Orders are delivered once a week.
3. There is no limit to the number of orders you can place each week.
4. You can purchase orders for multiple inmates and/or at multiple jails.
5. Orders are processed weekly. The cutoff time is on Sunday at 11:59 PM.
6. Orders are delivered to the jail within ten days.
7. Returns incur a 20% restocking fee.
Resources
Frequently Asked Questions.
Check the Status of your order here.
Online Contact Form.
Customer Service Contact
Call 800-956-2747 Monday - Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST.
Email: support@jailcanteen.com.
Jails typically have limits on how much money an inmate can have on the books at any one time.
They also have limits on how much you can deposit for an inmate at a time.
The standard monthly limit an inmate can spend is between $300 and $400.
The limit on the kiosk is $300 cash and $50 for credit and debit cards.
Online the minimum is $.01 and the maximum is $300.
Call Allegheny County Jail at 412-350-2000 or click here to learn the Inmate Account deposit limits and other rules regarding depositing money on an inmate's books.
OASIS is the Allegheny County Jail's outside vendor for Commissary Items. They have a very good mix of Chips, Snacks, Candy, Meat, Seafood, Hygeine products, and Letter writing materials for sale on their website.
Anybody can purchase commissary for your inmate as long as there is not a 'no-contact order' in place, as this might get them in further trouble.
Because of the ability for family members and friends to purchase commissary online from Oasis using a Visa or Mastercard credit or debit card or Discover, you and your inmate have more options.
Since inmates are not allowed to possess cash money while in custody, the Allegheny County Jail allows the inmate's family and/or friends to purchase products online from Oasis.
This allows them to obtain items such as personal hygiene products, snacks, apparel, electronics and stationery supplies. Otherwise they go without, and you don't want them to be obligated to others for their basic needs.
Many jails debit (charge) an inmate's commissary accounts for medical
visits, any medications including over-the-counter pain reliever, jail
stay fees, restitution, etc.
Taking this into consideration
when deciding how much to deposit will ensure the inmate gets the amount
you wanted him to have after things are deducted.
A quick
call to the Allegheny County Jail at 412-350-2000 will let
you know how much is deducted from the books for each fee related to
medical issues or other jail expenses.
The kiosks in the lobby of Allegheny County Jail charge a $3.00 fee for each deposit.
Online deposits and deposits by phone are as follows:
$.01-$19.99 Fee $2.95
$20-$99.99 Fee $5.95
$100-$199.99 Fee $7.95
$200-$300 Fee $9.95
Online you can find the medical fee information by going here, Other Allegheny County Jail fees can be determined by going here or calling 412-350-2000.
Sometimes an inmate's commissary money is used to purchase items to pay gambling debts or purchase prescription medicine from another inmate. If your inmate is spending more than $10.00 a day on commissary items, you are most likely paying for him or her to gamble or buy drugs.
Some inmates, specifically those who are targeted for being weak or are in jail for rape or child molestation, are forced to relinquish their commissary to avoid regular beatings from other inmates.
If you think your inmate is being targeted for violence or having their commissary taken to avoid beatings, contact the Allegheny County Jail and ask to investigate. If an inmate is being targeted, they will intervene and have the victim placed in protective custody, away from the general population.
Put your financial needs first and the inmate's second. Don't forget, the inmate is getting three free 2,000 calorie meals a day. The food may not be of the highest quality, but the commissary food is generally much less nutritious.
Click here to purchase commissary online for your inmate at Allegheny County Jail.
